Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has joined forces with Bulgari Group to organise an art exhibition. The inaugural edition of the Bulgari Contemporary Art Award, which opened on February 3 will run until February 8, 2022 at Van De Goudenberg Art Gallery in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Dubai Culture selected 17 UAE national and resident artists in December last year. These include: Abdulrahim Salem, Aisha AlAli, Alia Lootah, Chie Nakano, Farid Alrais, Ioannis Kadras, Jassim Alawadhi, Juma AlHaj, Kamal Alzubi, Madar Alsuwaidi, Magda Malkoun, Nima Nabavi, Niveen Meguid, Saeed Almadani, Shamsa Juma, Tala Worrell and Valerie Vincent.
The theme of the awards is ‘Beauty connects people’.
“We are proud to showcase the work of the talented artists participating in this inaugural edition of the award and provide a new platform for them to express themselves creatively. The participating artists demonstrated a deep understanding of the award’s subject matter and presented innovative and highly expressive works. We look forward to announcing this year’s award winner and invite contemporary art enthusiasts from all walks of life to visit the exhibition and enjoy the aesthetic elements reflected in the participating works,” said Dr Saeed Mubarak bin Kharbash, CEO of the Arts and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture.
The Bulgari Contemporary Art Award was launched in July 2021 along with the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. There are three categories in the awards, which are visual arts, including drawing and painting; photography and sculpture.
“We are impressed by the rich inspiration of all the participating artists that led to such an interesting dialogue between Rome and Dubai, fuelled by the powerful energy of colours. This award represents an important commitment as supporting contemporary artists means investing in a future of ideas, talent and passion. Visiting this exhibition means plunging into an enthralling universe of unbridled creativity, an ode to research and experimentation that perfectly matches Bulgari’s DNA,” added Lucia Boscaini, Bulgari Brand Curator.
The list of jurors include Giuseppe Moscatello, Nujoom Alghanem and Patricia Millns FRSA, who shortlisted three works for the top award. These include paintings by Nima Nabavi and Juma Al Haj, as well as a sculpture by Kamal Alzubi. A winner will be picked by experts from Dubai Culture and Bulgari, as well as other selected jurors.
